Playlist: Equal Time With Martha Burk

Weekly 2 1/2 minute public affairs commentary on topics in the public debate, political issues, and how decisions in Washington and around the world affect ordinary citizens, often with an emphasis on women. Critical analysis that goes beyond the breaking news.

Interview with Barbara Reynolds,founding editor of USA Today on her 2017 book My Life, My Love, My Legacy biography of Coretta King, condensed from many hours of audiotaped conversations between King and Reynolds. All aspects of Coretta King's life, from early on through the Martin Luther King assassination and her life beyond. Piece also contains audio from Coretta King.

Interview with Barbara Reynolds, founding editor of USA Today on her 2017 book My Life, My Love, My Legacy Coretta King as Told to Barbara Reyonolds biography of Coretta King, condensed from many hours of audiotaped conversations between King and Reynolds. All aspects of Coretta King's life, from early on through the Martin Luther King assassination and her life beyond. Piece also contains audio from Coretta King.

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Well we did it. Made it through another year. Women have had some good news, and some bad news. What with wars, floods, police shootings, terrorist attacks and all the rest, we’ve probably missed a few things. So let’s review some items that didn’t make the front pages in 2015.

Well we did it. Made it through another year. Women have had some good news, and some bad news. What with wars, floods, police shootings, terrorist attacks and all the rest, we’ve probably missed a few things. So let’s review some items that didn’t make the front pages in 2015.

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The so-called “War on Christmas” is in full swing. Militant Christians say the well-known evergreen is a Christian symbol for a Christian holiday, and any attempts to ban it are anti-religion political correctness gone mad. On the other side, folks like a complaining Rabbi in New Mexico say Christmas trees leave out holiday celebrations by other faiths.

The so-called “War on Christmas” is in full swing. Militant Christians say the well-known evergreen is a Christian symbol for a Christian holiday, and any attempts to ban it are anti-religion political correctness gone mad. On the other side, folks like a complaining Rabbi in New Mexico say Christmas trees leave out holiday celebrations by other faiths.

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The gender pay gap reared its ugly head again this month, with a massive study released by the website PayScale. Almost one and half million workers logged on over a 2 year period and spilled the beans about how much they’re paid. The highest earning group? Men with kids. They way outearn the lowest group – you guessed it – single women with kids.

The gender pay gap reared its ugly head again this month, with a massive study released by the website PayScale. Almost one and half million workers logged on over a 2 year period and spilled the beans about how much they’re paid. The highest earning group? Men with kids. They way outearn the lowest group – you guessed it – single women with kids.

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Lately we've been awash in a debate over whether a Muslim should serve as President, triggered by Republican candidate Ben Carson, who said Islam is inconsistent with the constitution. As an American woman, I don't fear the possibility of a Muslim in the White House nearly as much as I fear the radical Christians now seeking the GOP nomination.

Lately we've been awash in a debate over whether a Muslim should serve as President, triggered by Republican candidate Ben Carson, who said Islam is inconsistent with the constitution. As a woman in the U.S., I don't fear the possibility of a Muslim in the White House nearly as much as I fear the radical Christians now seeking the GOP nomination. They want to send women back to the back alleys - a much more immediate threat.

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Get ready for Pope, Pope, and more Pope 24-7 this week, as the pontiff makes his rounds in the nation’s capital. No doubt Pope Francis is kinder and gentler than his predecessors, especially on issues that affect women, like abortion and ending a marriage. But on one issue of great importance -- sex abuse by priests -- the pontiff is not as good as he looks.

Get ready for Pope, Pope, and more Pope 24-7 this week, as the pontiff makes his rounds in the nation’s capital. No doubt Pope Francis is kinder and gentler than his predecessors, especially on issues that affect women, like abortion and ending a marriage. But on one issue of great importance -- sex abuse by priests -- the pontiff is not as good as he looks.

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It was down to the wire before a decision was made to include Carly Fiorina, the only woman in the race, in this week’s Republican presidential debate. Will a woman in the prime-time lineup help the Republican cause? It could, but it depends much more on how she appeals to the majority of voters – other women.

It was down to the wire before a decision was made to include Carly Fiorina, the only woman in the race, in this week’s Republican presidential debate. Will a woman in the prime-time lineup help the Republican cause? It could, but it depends much more on how she appeals to the majority of voters – other women.

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The Republican presidential candidates busy debating their version of so-called immigration reform are using some mighty harsh words. In all that rhetoric there’s a not-so-hidden agenda against the majority of immigrants -- women.

The Republican presidential candidates busy debating their version of so-called immigration reform are using some mighty harsh words, like "rapists" and "criminals." In all that rhetoric there’s a not-so-hidden agenda against the majority of immigrants -- women.

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The NRA won the gun control debate long ago. So with the right to bear arms no matter the consequences firmly established in U.S. law and psyche of its citizens, the NRA has to push new laws to stay viable. One of the newer so-called gun rights the group has cooked up is "campus carry."

The NRA won the gun control debate long ago. So with the right to bear arms no matter the consequences firmly established in U.S. law and psyche of its citizens, the NRA has to push new laws to stay viable. One of the newer so-called gun rights the group has cooked up is "campus carry."

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Hooray for Netflix. The company jumped in front of 99% of corporate America last week when it announced an unlimited first year leave policy for new parents after the birth or adoption of a child. You heard right – unlimited. And it applies to fathers as well as mothers.

Hooray for Netflix. The company jumped in front of 99% of corporate America last week when it announced an unlimited first year leave policy for new parents after the birth or adoption of a child. You heard right – unlimited. And it applies to fathers as well as mothers.

July 30 marks a very important anniversary in our modern political history. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law, creating two programs that would improve the lives of Americans, especially women. Fast forward to 2015, and both are very much under siege.

The U.S. Senate has done it again – blocked a vote on the Military Justice Improvement Act. It’s a bill by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand that would move the decision about whether to prosecute sexual assault in the military from the chain-of-command and turn it over to independent military prosecutors. Right now, senior officers -- not law enforcement -- get to decide guilt or innocence. Most of the victims are afraid of being punished by superiors if they come forward. And for good reason.

The so-called religious freedom laws Republican candidates seek are fig leafs for discrimination against gay couples. But if such laws become reality, they would go far beyond the ability of a Christian business to refuse to cater a gay wedding. Other religions would by definition be accorded equal rights to discriminate based on their own beliefs.

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There’s an old saying “be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.” That applies in spades to Republicans who have voted over 50 times (unsuccessfully) to overturn Obamacare. But now the Supreme Court may grant the GOP's fondest wish when they rule by the end of the month on a case experts say could gut the Affordable Care Act. Who will be hit hardest if Obamacare goes away? Women, of course.
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There’s an old saying “be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.” That applies in spades to Republicans who have voted over 50 times (unsuccessfully) to overturn Obamacare. But now the Supreme Court may grant the GOP's fondest wish, when they rule by the end of the month on a case experts say could gut the Affordable Care Act. Who will be hit hardest if Obamacare goes away? Women, of course.

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The President is asking for "fast track" authority to give the White House sole negotiating authority on the Trans Pacific Partnership, a giant trade agreement between the US and twelve Pacific Rim nations.

The President is asking for "fast track" authority to give the White House sole negotiating authority on the Trans Pacific Partnership, a giant trade agreement between the US and twelve Pacific Rim nations. Trouble is, the provisions are secret, and he won't tell Congress or the people what's in it. But thanks to Wikileaks, we already know it's a disaster for U.S. workers -- especially women.

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Too often when Albuquerque, New Mexico is in the news, it's bad – a police department under scrutiny by the Justice Department, or an unsolvable homeless problem. But recently the city made news for something good – especially good for women.

Too often when Albuquerque. New Mexico, is in the news, it's bad – a police department under scrutiny by the Justice Department, or a seemingly unsolvable homeless problem. But recently the city made news for something good – especially good for women. Initiated by Mayor Richard Berry, the Albuquerque City Council unanimously passed a strong gender pay equity initiative that is the first in the nation.

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The U.S. has put a dozen aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers off the coast of Yemen, to support Saudi Arabia's military strikes against Yemeni rebels. At the same time the Saudis declared war on the rebels, they also stepped up another longtime war – the one on women. The king has used the conflict as an excuse to put all reforms of their punitive anti-woman system on hold.

The U.S. has put a dozen aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers off the coast of Yemen, to support Saudi Arabia's military strikes against Yemeni rebels. At the same time the Saudis declared war on the rebels, they also stepped up another longtime war – the one on women. The king has used the conflict as an excuse to put all reforms of their punitive anti-woman system on hold.

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It's no surprise the golf world will be obsessed this week with the Masters Tournament. The Green Dinos at Augusta National Golf Club will wine, dine, and brag about how their club is so exclusive the membership roster is secret. Well, mostly secret.

It's no surprise the golf world are obsessed every April with the Masters Tournament.The Green Dinos at Augusta National Golf Club will wine, dine, and brag about how their club is so exclusive the membership roster is secret. Well, mostly secret.

AARP has done a feature on best places to retire for years, and Time magazine does a similar analysis on “best places to live.” But nobody has done an analysis specifically aimed at women – until now. The Institute for Women's Policy Research in Washington shows us the best places for young women to live in the U.S.

The Grand Old Party is trying desperately to appeal to women – the majority of voters – and denies that it has engaged in a so-called war on women in the last few years. If that’s true their upcoming budget should show it. The Obama budget wants to triple the tax credit for child care. We’ll see what the GOP proposes. After all, they’re supposed to be for family values.

The Taliban in Afghanistan have gone after Kabul’s police chief and an outspoken women’s rights activist. That may be because Afghan women are actively agitating for a place at the peace table. According to the international aid group Oxfam, women are being left out of government efforts to start peace talks with the Taliban.

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March 8 is International Women’s Day, so it’s time to check in on where the good old U S of A stands in relation to the rest of the world when it comes to gender equality. Spoiler alert – we’re not number one.

The United States is 20th out of 142 countries in the world. Last year we were number 23, so we’ve improved a bit overall (though back in 2011 we were even better at 17th). Looking behind the numbers we see some good news – and some worrisome trends.

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There’s been a lot of controversy over the movie Selma and the Academy Awards. Selma is rightfully centered on Dr. King, and has been rightfully criticized for the way it portrays President Lyndon Johnson. But there’s another slight that also distorts history, and that’s the role King’s wife Coretta played in the civil rights movement.

Selma is rightfully centered on Dr. King, and has been rightfully criticized for the way it portrays President Lyndon Johnson. But there’s another slight that also distorts history, and that’s the role King’s wife Coretta played in the civil rights movement.

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The red carpet rolls out next Sunday – and hopefuls, hacks, and superstars alike will be chasing the most coveted prize in show business. But are women getting equal treatment in filmdom? It took the Academy 45 years to nominate the first woman director, in 1976. Since then, a whopping three more have been nominated.

As a woman in the U.S., I don't fear radical Islamists nearly as much as I fear the "radical Christians." In the hinterlands of New Mexico where I live, women in veils are as scarce as dodo birds. It's the men in dresses that I'm afraid of. They and their bosses in Rome and lackeys in legislatures want to send women back to the back alleys - a much more immediate threat.

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Founding the National Woman’s Party in 1916, Alice Paul masterminded the tactics that finally got women the franchise in 1920 after a 72 year struggle by less aggressive suffragists. Paul was a pioneer in non-violent political protest, organizing the first group of American citizens in history to picket in front of the White House fence in 1917.

In January we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., one of the greatest icons of the 20th century, known by all as the strongest advocate for equal rights for African Americans using non-violence. King was a great man indeed, but we should also be celebrating the January birthday of another civil rights hero who pioneered non-violence, and preceded King by half a century.

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The U.S. Senate convened on January 6th, with 13 new members. Some people think 13 is a lucky number, and some say the opposite. When it comes to the new Senators, this particular number 13 is likely to be very unlucky for women.

The U.S. Senate convened on January 6th, with 13 new members. Some people think 13 is a lucky number, and some say the opposite. When it comes to the new Senators, this particular number 13 is likely to be very unlucky for women.

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The mediocre movie "The Interview" catapulted to international fame when Sony pictures caved to the North Korean government and scuttled -- but later reinstated -- the picture’s opening. But something else was revealed in the hack that is no laughing matter

The mediocre movie "The Interview" catapulted to international fame when Sony pictures caved to the North Korean government and scuttled -- but later reinstated -- the picture’s opening. That caused "Interview" to rake in $20 million bucks in its first couple of weeks. The bonanza was triggered by a major hack of Sony’s computers that revealed the movie’s comical plot about assassinating the North Korean president. But something else was revealed in the hack that is no laughing matter. Sony is guilty of sex discrimination in pay – the gender pay gap is alive and well, even at the highest levels. Case in point: Jennifer Lawrence.

Well we did it. Made it through another year. Women have had some good news, and some bad news. And what with wars, floods, NFL domestic violence, police shootings and all the rest, we’ve probably missed a few things. So let’s review some items that didn’t make the front pages in 2014.

December is for celebraing, but it's also about remembering one of the darkest days in decades, December 14, 2012 – when 20 first graders and 6 educators at Sandy Hook elementary school were gunned down by an ex-student wielding a shotgun.

Consumers are snapping up mountains of plastic soon-to-be-junk from toy stores, and the latest gee-whiz gadgets and cheesy clothing from big boxes. Is it stuff we need? Will we love it in January? And what's the message we're sending to our kids? Call a halt -- and start a new tradition.

After a drubbing in the elections President Obama says he wants to work with the new Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. Let’s hope they don't shake hands on the Trans Pacific Partnership, which McConnell has named as a priority. What is it? A giant trade agreement between the US and twelve Pacific Rim nations now being negotiated in secret -- and it's a disaster for U.S. workers.

Ebola panic is sweeping the nation, and politicians, always eager to take advantage of voters’ fears, are jumping on the bandwagon hoping it will pay off at the ballot box. Most female voters aren't buying the baloney -- Gallup polls show equal pay is the number one issue.

It’s been a rough couple of years for reproductive rights – not only with the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision granting corporate control of contraception, but in Congress and statehouses around the country. Females are the majority of voters, and a super-majority when they’re joined by men who support them. Women can control any election, and we’d better make it happen.

We’re in the countdown to the mid-term elections, so let’s talk about what’s at stake for the majority of voters – women. Unfortunately women also make up another majority -- those working for our pathetic $7.25 an hour minimum wage. We’ve all heard the numbers on the gender pay gap – women make about 77 cents on the dollar compared to men for full time year round work. And one of the biggest factors in the pay gap is the low minimum wage.

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First of five broadcasts on what's at stake for women in the upcoming elections. Today's topic: Some candidates are promising to repeal Obamacare if elected. What does it mean for women if the system goes away?

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews, Scotland, votes September 18 on whether to admit women.They're following in the sexist footsteps of Augusta National, where it took 10 years of activism and nearly $80 million in legal settlements to break the Green Dinosaurs. Women knew all along it wasn’t about golf.

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College students are hitting the road back to school this month. There’s no doubt it can be a wonderful experience. But for some, college will be a nightmare. Specifically the nightmare of sexual assault for one in five female coeds. And don’t think college administrators are standing guard. Looking the other way is more like it.

College women have been brushed off and ignored, or worse, told they just can’t handle campus life and rape is just part of the game. Victim blaming is another strategy to silence complaints. Congress is proposing new ways to curb the mayhem, but it's not enough. Here's a controversial but effective remedy.

There was one little-remarked provision that was unheard of in Japan, and to this day goes beyond even the U.S. Constitution. Women were given equal rights with men. How did that happen? A woman on the drafting committee of course.

More than a month after the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision allowing corporations to refuse birth control coverage for female employees, the brouhaha has not died down. Anger is building -- and at precisely the time the Democrats are counting on single females to push them to victory in November.

When the U.S. space program was launched, women were tested for astronaut duty -- and passed. But then they were passed over. Male astronauts candidates and NASA big-wigs objected, and the women's program was shut down. So we literally put a man on the moon. That giant step should have been for womankind too.

This is the time of year when "good guy" awards are given out like candy to corporations supposedly good for women and minorities. Working Mother magazine just listed "Best Companies for Multicultural Women." But behind the scenes these companies aren't so great for women.

On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. Meant to end race discrimination in employment, a ban on sex discrimination was tacked on at the last minute. Laughter broke out on the floor of Congress. Many thought adding sex was a joke.

June 6 marks the anniversary of D-Day, the day in 1944 when Allied forces in World War II invaded France from offshore. Thousands never made it out of the water, making the landing on Normandy one of the deadliest days of the war. In an all-out push, 150,000 men – and one woman -- hit the beaches.

Michael Bloomberg spent $12 million last year trying to get members of the Senate to vote for background checks, but his return on investment was lousy. So this year Mr. Bloomberg has as a new strategy. Instead of trying to change lawmaker’s minds, he’s going to try and change their faces. Borrowing a page from the NRA playbook, his new group, Everytown For Gun Safey, will target moms and campaign against lawmakers who don’t support their agenda.

The Senate has passed a bill to restore benefit payments to the long-term unemployed,but Speaker John Boehner says he won’t bring it up in the House until the cost is paid for, meaning spending cuts somewhere else. Fair enough. Here are a few suggestions for cutting welfare to save taxpayer money.

Way back in the '70s there were country songs bemoaning taxes. Things have changed a lot since then -- for the worst. In those days the rich paid their fair share. Now ordinary workers pay far more than those who don't go to work at all -- fat cats living off dividends and capital gains. And many major corporations pay zero taxes too. To paraphrase another '70s ditty -- "they got the gold mine, we got the shaft."

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A unique kind of Final Four bracket was created this year by the American Association of University Women. They ranked schools on how big the head coaching pay gaps were between men's and women's teams.

Coaches of women's teams are getting shortchanged -- by a lot -- at every school in the tournament when compared to men's team head coaches. Even though UConn's women’s basketball squad has the better record women’s head coaches get only 49% the dollars showered on their male counterparts. Florida pays it’s women’s team coaches only 21% of what the men’s coaches get, Kentucky 22%, and Wisconsin 26%.

The Supreme Court is looking at two cases of religious persecution in 2014. The oppressed group? American business. Hobby Lobby and others are claiming they’re being persecuted for their faith. Didn’t know a business could be a member of a church? I didn’t either. I Never saw one being baptized, celebrating a bar mitzvah or making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

There’s some new news for women on the job front -- and as usual, it’s good and it’s bad. The good? Unlike men, women have actually regained more jobs than they lost in the recession, and their unemployment rate is under 6.4 percent. The bad news is they’re lousy jobs.

Germaine Tillion Geneviève de Gaulle and will be interred in the Pantheon. They will join 72 men and only two other females -- Marie Curie, and the wife of a French politician who was buried with her husband. The motto above the door states: "To great men, a grateful country." At long last, it may now also become a monument to great women.

If you look only at the categories for acting, women come in for an equal share of the Oscars. But peeking behind the velvet curtains, a different picture emerges. Women are still a tiny minority in the movie business overall -- so much so the lack of opportunity has been dubbed the "celluloid ceiling." An interview with Melissa Silverstein founder of the Indiewire blog Women and Hollywood.

Michael Sam will no doubt be remembered as a groundbreaker, but he couldn’t have done it without groundbreakers before him – like Coretta Scott King. Remembered for civil rights marches in the ‘60s alongside her husband, most don’t realize she was an early advocate for gay rights as well. Includes audio from one of Coretta Scott King's speeches.

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For the first time in history, women outnumbered men on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, and even bested the men in gold medals. This year in Sochi the gender ratio slipped a little. With 105 women and 125 men, women make up 45% of the team, even though ski jumping is open to females for the first time.

Women have reached near-parity on the Olympic team, but if you look behind the numbers for women athletes, you see that the Olympics are still very much an old boys club when it comes to the ruling bodies that control the games. And that may be why sexism is still rampant.

It was good that President Obama highlighted women's low pay when he announced an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers. But he missed an opportunity to help close the gender wage gap by also requiring public disclosure of pay scales and prohibiting retaliation for talking about pay with co-workers.

School shootings and kid-on-kid violence with guns are now so commonplace that "active shooter drills" are routine in the nation's schools. But even toddlers have killed their playmates with guns found in their homes. It's time to put the responsibility where it belongs -- on adults who leave guns where kids can use them to kill.

Roe v. Wade has been under attack since the Supreme Court declared abortion legal in 1973. Right now it looks like opposition forces are winning. More restrictions have been put in place since 2011 than during the entire previous decade.

Women are the majority of the population, of registered voters, and of those who actually show up at the polls, meaning they can control any election. The gender gap is alive and well -- women usually go for Dems and men stick with the good ol' boys in the Republican party. But if candidates listen, getting the female vote is just not that complicated.

Did we win or lose the War on Poverty announced in Lyndon Johnson's State of the Union address in 1964? Poverty is down, but not by much, and we seem to be getting stingier, not more generous with the poor among us. So was Johnson's domestic war worth it? (Contains audio of Johnson's speech as part of the 2 1/2 minute commentary.)

Christmas is over, but the tree won’t be the only thing kicked to the curb with the new year. As of December 28, long-term unemployed Americans will lose some or all of their already paltry benefits, courtesy of Scrooges on Capitol Hill.

Both parties want to cut food aid to the poor -- they just differ on how much. House Republicans want a $40 billion cut. Senate Democrats want $4 billion. Whatever they choose, it’ll be on top of the loss these families suffered when a 2009 temporary increase ran out November 1st.

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On November 19th citizens of Albuquerque, New Mexico, will vote on the first city-level 20 week abortion ban in the U.S., with no exceptions for rape, incest, age of the female, or condition of the fetus. No exceptions at all – “except to save the life of a pregnant woman.”

Called the “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance,” a proposed Albuquerque abortion ban is a test case for more city bans nationwide. Whether the local coalition fighting the measure can prevail over out-of-state rabble rousers, the Catholic clergy, a biased local press, and fundamentalist churches that have taken up the battle is anybody’s guess.

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When it comes to how we treat our veterans,we do pretty well in some areas, but fall down in others. Homelessness is one of the worst. It’s way too high for both male and female vets – and this is one area where women are catching up to men.

Substance abuse and mental illness are leading causes of homelessness for male veterans. But homelessness for our female ex-soldiers actually starts before they leave the military. A huge factor is sexual trauma from rapes and other assaults during their service. Because they couldn’t report the crimes, or were punished when they did, many women suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and lose their jobs, family, and homes.

We rank 23rd in the world, just behind Barundi in the Global Gender Gap Index. Unlike the US,, governments in countries at the top of the list make it possible for parents to combine work and family. No one can argue that we’re not in the world’s top tier when it comes to standard of living -- it's just that women in the good ol’ U.S. of A don’t quite have the same standard as men. Maybe we can learn from those countries that are doing it right.

Created by USA Weekend magazine and Points of Light, Make a Difference Day inspires people around the world to help others by volunteering for the cause of their choice. Good for communities, good for those in need, and good for the planet. Two and one half minute commentary.

In poor countries worldwide as well as countries in conflict, girls are deprived of education more often than their brothers. Thirty million elementary school-age girls are not in school. There’s no disputing that girls born in the U.S. have won the lottery of life compared to girls in poor and war-torn countries. But despite our prosperity and universal education, we still have work to do.

Obamacare mandates that employer health plans cover birth control without co-payments. Corporations like Hobby Lobby and Eden Foods hate the rule so much that they’ve filed lawsuits to stop it. They say they don’t believe in birth control, and covering it for female workers violates their religious freedom. What about a female employee's right not to be forced to conform to dictates by the boss’s faith?

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Chicken is big business in the U.S. During National Chicken Month, the industry gives us ways to celebrate -- by eating more chicken of course. But who pays, and who profits? KFC alone rakes in over $4 billion a year -- while paying workers the minimum wage.

Corporate big birds like Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride have lobbied for years to get safety inspections weakened, and they're about to succeed, thanks to the Obama administration. So here are some different ideas to mark National Chicken Month.

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Forty seven million people in the U.S. depend on food aid, and almost half are kids. For the first time in modern history, the House has passed as farm bill without any food stamps, even though the recession has caused the rolls to swell.

Even as the Russian-U.S. talks are looking for a solution that avoids a U.S. attack, Syrian women are campaigning to reframe the options altogether. The Syrian Women’s Forum for Peace is working for a democratic Syrian state through peaceful means.

Syria has used chemical weapons on its people, and a unified world response is in order. But the case for the U.S. bombing Syria alone on the grounds of national security is weak, and will cost billions. The real threat to our national security is economic. Here are some things the money could buy.

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Labor Day was created in the 19th century by the unions, to celebrate the economic achievements of American workers. But if we look at the 21st century “economic achievements” by U.S. corporations in taking advantage of their low wage employees, we might as well rename it Labor Exploitation Day.

Though women worked as hard as men in the civil rights movement, they were very often made invisible. At its core the movement was about the personhood of black men. Indeed, "I AM A MAN" was often seen on placards, and is an enduring image of the era. Women were blocked from recognition at the March on Washington rally, not allowed to speak nor to attend a meeting at the White House. It's time these women were written back into history.

Women have made steady gains in many areas since they got the right to vote in August of 1920, but there is still work to do. When elected officials refuse to back pro-woman policies, today's females should borrow a page from the suffragists and use their votes to hold elected officials accountable.

Groups friendly to House Republlicans are mounting an anti-Obamacare ad blitz during this month's congressional recess. The ads are aimed at moms, but may just cause a backlash. The ads could remind women that repealing Obamacare will eliminate cost-free birth control coverage, and they know the GOP has voted to defund family planning programs and birth control clinics.

Blaming Hillary Clinton for everything from Huma Abedin's reaction to her husband's sextcapades to global unrest, the Hillary Haters are just getting started. Expect to be indundated between now and 2016. They just don't want a strong woman in control.

Most people think McDonalds and WalMart lead the pack when it comes to creating low wage jobs in the U.S. -- but they're wrong. The biggest offender is mostly out of sight to consumers, and responsible for more poverty level wages than these two companies combined.

The golf club hosting the British Open this year has always barred Blacks from membership. This year they extended the policy to cover players as well. The R&A, governing body of UK golf, has no plans to remove Muirfield from the rotation, saying the flap over discrimination is "considerably overblown."

Texas Governor Rick Perry is good at letting conservative women speak for his anti-abortion crusade and label pro-choice women "terrorists." Perry learned from his predecessor George W. Bush how to do it. Pro-choice women will likely take revenge at the ballot box. They are the majority of voters and can control any election. That ought to terrify anti-abortion candidates.

The Declaration of Independence declared that "all men are created equal," and unfortunately it meant just that. Women still do not have equal rights in the U.S. Constitution, and they're needed now more than ever.

Republican Speaker John Boehner said the recent abortion ban passed by the House was very popular and wouldn't change how women feel about the party. He's half right. It won't their relationship with women, because women already hate the GOP.

Women are now the majority of the population in the U.S., and they're also now the majority of people migrating to our shores from other countries. The immigration debate must take into account some of the unique needs of women working to become U.S. citizens.

Only 12% of American workers get any kind of paid leave for care of family members, including newborns and adopted children. In the few companie that grant the benefit, new dads get far less than moms. It's time we recognize dads need time off too.

Even after 50 years women working full time and year round are still behind men. But there's another pay gap that's getting worse every year. CEOs are reaping millions while ordinary workers -- women and men -- are falling further behind.

The cost of college loans is already high, and will double on July 1st if Congress doesn't act. While it's hard on men too, the pay gap and credit crunch especially affects women. Loans are harder to get and harder to pay off.

For years there has been a significant gender gap on the need for more gun control, with the majority of women in favor. The gap has widened since Sandy Hook, and voters are now planning to punish lawmakers who voted against expanded background checks.

The U.S. tax system is supposed to be fair. But is it? If you're an ordinary worker, you're taxed at a much higher rate than investors and corporations. Corporations claim they have the same rights as people -- so let's tax them the same as people.

Martha Burk led the fight to open Augusta National Golf Club to women, beginning with a protest a decade ago. She and her organization kept the pressure on through lawsuits and big monetary settlements to finally dismantle the tree house a decade later.

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Peggy Orenstein, New York Times best-selling author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture talks with series host Martha Burk on the holiday buying frenzy, marketing to kids, and what hyper-genderized toys are doing to our children.

This 1/2 hour interview can be broadcast as a stand-alone program (28:30 not counting 10 sec. station ID and one 2x30 sec break), or combined with Hartmann interview for a one hour show (56:47 not counting 10 sec. station ID and three 2x30 sec. breaks) as originally broadcast.

It takes until April of every year for women to catch up to what men made by the previous December 31, and that's for full-time year-round workers. Pithy commentary on why it happens and what can be done about it.